Clinical Pharmacists are experts in medicines and how they are used. We are very fortunate to have clinical pharmacists in our team as they help doctors and nurses to spend more time with patients while they deal with the majority of medicine-related queries.
Our clinical pharmacists deal with repeat prescriptions, new medication queries/side effects, medication reviews & reconciling medications on discharge from hospital.
Our GP’s may ask the clinical pharmacist to get in touch with you if you take lots of medications from time to time. This is to review your symptoms and check they’re still the best medications for you to be on. Where better, newer alternatives are available, they’ll discuss this with you and your GP.
A first contact practitioner (FCP) is an experienced physiotherapist who has the advanced skills necessary to assess, diagnose and provide appropriate treatment or referral for musculoskeletal problems and will see patient with new aches, pains and injuries to your bones, joints and muscles.
They offer expert advice on how best to manage your condition, arrange follow-up appointments and can refer you to a specialist for further treatment if necessary. They can also speak to the GP straightaway if you need any medication during your appointment.
Physiotherapists train longer than GP’s on issues with bones, joints and muscles so are the perfect specialists to see for these matters. Having a physiotherapist directly at your GP practice means you get seen quicker and recover faster.
Please speak to your GP Surgery reception team to book in directly with an FCP
Your doctor isn’t the only person who can help you feel better. You can improve your health and wellbeing through social prescription.
Social prescribing helps you to explore services, groups and activities that can support you to improve your health and emotional wellbeing. Addressing difficult issues needs extra time and support.
Social Prescribers can help by:
Giving you the time to explore and identify what is important for your health and wellbeing and the issues you’d like to address.
Providing support and encouragement to connect to services, groups and activities that can help
They can speak with you on the phone or meet face-to-face. And, they will work with you to create a personalised plan to help you to connect with services in your community.
Areas they can help with are:
Befriending, counselling and other support groups
Getting involved in local groups and activities
Life changing events
Loss of confidence/purpose
Accessing specialist services and support
Accessing work, training or volunteering
Social Prescribers are:
Someone you can talk to confidentially
Someone who is practical, helpful and will not judge you
Someone who can help you decide what you’d like to do to improve your health and wellbeing
Someone who can find support and activities that will suit you
Someone who can give you support along the way
If you would like support from a social prescriber either ask in your GP practice or email:
sxicb-esx.socialprescribingreferrals@nhs.net
Health and wellbeing coaches
Health and wellbeing coaches support people to increase their ability to self-manage, motivation levels and commitment to change their lifestyle. They are experts in behaviour change and focus on improving health related outcomes by working with people to set personalised goals and change their behaviours.
A Health and Wellbeing Coach is here to support and empower patients to take control over their health and wellbeing and maintain positive changes to their lifestyles.
The coaching process may involve:
- Confidence building – by listening to what matters to someone and supporting them to address barriers to their health goals.
- Encouraging positive behaviour change – setting achievable goals – through feedback, direction and support.
- Education – By providing background information around various health topics.
Health and wellbeing coaches can be effective intervention for people experiencing a range of long term conditions, including respiratory, cardiovascular(including type 2 diabetes and hypertension), and stress/low mood. They can also support people with weight management, diet and increasing activity.
Who and Why should I see a Health Coach?
- You feel ready to make healthy lifestyle changes but don’t know where to start.
- Struggling with a long-term health condition
- Recently diagnosed with a health conditions
- Looking for general advice around health and wellbeing
- You are over 18
Our Health & wellbeing coach holds chair-based exercise classes in all three surgeries to help mobilise, strengthen, stretch, improve balance and posture. She also runs a Movers & Shakers, outdoor exercise class on a Monday and Wednesday and has held cholesterol courses in two of the surgeries to help educate for a better lifestyle.
Areas a Health and Wellbeing Coach can Support with include:
- Joint pain
- Improving sleep
- Getting active and moving more
- Weight management
- Drinking less alcohol
- Improving your mood
- Stopping smoking
- Creating networks of support
How do I access the service?
You can be referred by your GP/Nurse/Healthcare Assistant
You can also self-refer without seeing a GP by emailing …..
What can I expect?
Once you have either contacted or been referred to the Health Coaching Team, they will contact you to arrange a meeting. This will usually be via telephone call.
During the first appointment, they will introduce themselves and use the time to find out some information about you. The focus will be on the topics that you want to discuss.
After this, you will be offered a further 5 sessions designed to support you in working towards your self-identified lifestyle goals. The 6th session will involve a progress review, at which point you will be given the opportunity to opt in to further sessions, if you feel they would be beneficial.
I offer a wide range of support
- 1:1 appointments – Face to Face or Telephone
- Group Peer Support Consultations
- Outdoor exercise classes
- Chair-based Exercise classes.
If you would like more information about the service or how to access it in the future please get in touch.
Do you have a diagnosed mental illness, or having difficulties with your mental health and wellbeing?
Emotional Wellbeing Services are now available in your GP surgery to offer you information, advice, guidance and support.
Types of support
We will provide you with short periods of support, and work with you, and your family or carer, to create a personalised plan that enables you to work towards your goals and take positive steps forward at a speed that works for you.
You will usually have one-to-one support, either in person, over the phone, via online video calls, or by email. We may also offer small group workshops.
We also give you information about other services in your area that may be helpful for you.
Help is available if you are experiencing a mental health crisis, are worried about a family or friend, or want to find the other services available in Sussex.
For non-emergency situations:
- NHS 111 – Tel: 111 and select the option for mental Health
- Sussex Mental Healthline – Tel: 0800 0309 500
- Sane Line – Tel; 0300 304 7000
- Samaritans – Tel: 116 123
- Shout mental health text – Text: SHOUT to 85258
In an emergency, call 999 or go to your nearest A&E department.
Care coordinators play an important role within the PCN to proactively identify and work with people, including the frail/elderly and those with long-term conditions, to provide coordination and navigation of care and support across health and care services. They can support people to become more active in their own health and care and are skilled in assessing people’s changing needs.
Care coordinators will ensure patient health and care planning is timely, efficient , and patient-centered and will coordinate a patient’s journey through primary and secondary care. This is achieved by bringing together all the information about a person’s identified care and support needs and exploring options to meet these within a single personalised care and support plan, based on what matters to the person.
Care coordinators work very closely with Social Prescribers and Health and Wellbeing Coaches referring to them inline with patients needs.
Care Coordinators focus on ‘What matters to me’, by building rapport with patients and providing non judgmental support, this will enable the patient to identify what is important to them and what obstacles could prevent them from achieving this.
Digital ambassadors champion the NHS app among both colleagues and patients, promoting its many benefits and helping users to understand how to use the app’s features.
The NHS app provides a simple and secure way for people to access a range of NHS services on their smartphone or tablet.
The NHS app enables you to :order repeat prescriptions, securely view your GP health record, get health advice via 111 online, find NHS services near you, register to take part in health research, book your first hospital or clinic appointment and much more.
It is available to all patients aged 13 and over who are registered with an NHS GP practice in England and the Isle of Man.
If you need help with any aspect of the NHS app please contact our digital ambassador service via email: sxicb-esx.digital.ambassador@nhs.net